Date: Saturday, May 19Meet time: 5:00 a.m.
Ride-out time: 5:56 a.m.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Villa and Franklin streets, Mountain View (across from the Tied House) (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Heavy rain cancels
Category: 3 - moderate-fast pace (12-15 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 125
Description:
If you are an intermediate or advanced rider who already has completed at least one century ride at a pace of at least 12 mph this season, you are invited to ride in the Fifth Annual Altamont Pass Double Metric, where we ride 200 kilometers (125 miles) in one day.
The terrain on this route is not extremely difficult -- total climbing is only about 2,800 feet -- but potentially strong afternoon headwinds and very hot temperatures have sometimes combined in the past to make this ride more challenging than it looks. There are no stupidly big hills on the entire route!
From our meeting point in downtown Mountain View, we start by crossing the Dumbarton Bridge and passing through Newark and Fremont on our way up Niles Canyon to Sunol. Next, we'll head through Pleasanton and Livermore on our way to the Summit Garage at top of the original Altamont Pass along the historic Lincoln Highway.
Then, we'll retrace our route back to Pleasanton and then head up and over the Dublin Grade into Castro Valley. After that, we'll take city streets through Hayward and follow Mission Blvd. into the Mission San Jose district of Fremont. Finally, we'll pass through Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale on our way back to Mountain View.
We ride out at the crack of dawn. You'll have about 14 hours (including stops) to complete this route. Ride leaders will be encouraging riders to make steady progress throughout the day and not linger at rest stops, so that everyone can be back in Mountain View before sunset.
This is an epic ride, but it is very doable, and your ride leaders and volunteer roadies will be on hand to help you succeed. But please, for your own health and safety and the safety of other riders, do not sign up for this ride if you will not have completed at least one other 100-mile ride before May 19.
The meeting point is next to some condominiums, so please keep noise to a minimum when arriving at this very early hour. The police station next door will notice if we become loud. Restrooms will not be available, not even at the police station, so take care of your needs before you arrive.
RSVP now RSVPs are strongly encouraged for this ride so that you can be kept informed as the date approaches.
